🔗 Share this article

There are "no preparations" for American leader President Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a administration representative has declared.

Last Thursday Trump said he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Budapest in the coming fortnight to examine the Ukraine conflict.

A initial discussion between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his opposite number Foreign Minister Lavrov was scheduled to occur this week - but the administration clarified the two had had a "positive" discussion and that a meeting was not "necessary".

The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been put on hold.

Background Context

The US president had discussed a Budapest summit during a call with Putin, a day before hosting Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Various sources indicated his meeting with the Ukrainian leader had been a "heated exchange", with sources indicating the president had urged him to give up large areas of eastern Ukraine as part of a settlement with Moscow.

Yet, on Monday Trump embraced a peace initiative endorsed by Ukraine and European leaders to pause the hostilities on the present positions.

"Leave it as is where it stands," he stated.

Moscow has consistently objected against halting the existing front lines.

The Russian government was exclusively seeking "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on this week, indicating that pausing conflict would only amount to a short-term truce.

Negotiating Stances

The "fundamental issues" of the conflict required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Russian diplomatic language for a set of comprehensive conditions that encompass the recognition of total Russian authority over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a unacceptable proposition for Ukraine and its European partners.

Zelensky said talks regarding the battle positions were the "beginning of diplomacy" but that Russia was "taking all measures" to evade negotiations.

He additionally stated the only topic that could make Moscow "become engaged" was that of the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Weapons Discussions

The Russian president's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently came ahead of reports that the US was preparing to send extended-range cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces that could possibly hit inside Russia.

Zelensky asserted it was the weapons consideration that had pressured the Kremlin to participate in talks. The talk about the weapons systems had emerged as a "valuable contribution" in diplomacy", he remarked.